“You, however, have followed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, as well as the persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. I endured these persecutions and the Lord delivered me from them all” (2 Timothy 3:10-11 ESV).
Here in 2 Timothy 3:10-11, Paul the Apostle referenced his experience in three different cities: Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. The events that took place in the city of Antioch are recorded for us in the New Testament book of Acts…
“And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region” (Acts 13:49-50).
The second reference to the town of Iconium involved an assault upon Paul’s life: “…a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them” (Acts 14:5). This method of execution took the form of rocks or stones that were thrown against someone until he or she died. Paul survived that attempt and subsequently fled to the third city mentioned in this trilogy.
This final incident occurred in Timothy’s hometown of Lystra and likely refers to the same event that Paul mentioned in a letter to the church at Corinth: “Once people tried to stone me to death” (2 Corinthians 11:25 GW). The record of that attempt upon Paul’s life is found in Acts 14:19…
“Some Jewish leaders from Antioch and Iconium came and turned the crowds against Paul. They hit him with stones and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead” (CEV).
So in addition to the various forms of punishment he was forced to endure, Paul also faced a riotous mob that attempted to murder him. These experiences should prompt us to consider the examples of other prominent Biblical personalities who were protected from danger as they sought to pursue God’s call upon their lives. That list includes (but is certainly not limited to)…
- Daniel (Daniel 6).
- Esther (Esther 3:8-5:3).
- Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:1-13).
- Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4).
This brings us to an important application from the following commentary…
“The Lord had not delivered from trouble, but He had delivered him out of the troubles. This is a reminder to us that we are not promised freedom from difficulties, but we are promised that the Lord will be with us and will see us through.” (1)
(1) MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997, c1995. Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments, Thomas Nelson: Nashville